Lightning Network R&D Lead

Lead / Principal Level — 6+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 3 years of hands-on work on Lightning Network, Bitcoin protocol, or off-chain/Layer 2 payment systems. Proven track record leading R&D initiatives, driving protocol-level innovation, or contributing to LN specifications (BOLTs) is strongly preferred.

Core Technologies:

• Lightning Network — Expert-level understanding of LN architecture, BOLT specifications, HTLCs, PTLCs, channel state machines, and routing protocols (source-based onion routing, trampoline routing)
• Lightning Implementations — Production experience with at least one major implementation: LND (Go), Core Lightning / CLN (C), Eclair (Scala), LDK (Rust), or LNP/BP stack
• Bitcoin Protocol — Deep knowledge of Bitcoin Script, Taproot, Schnorr signatures, MuSig2, PSBT, transaction construction, and UTXO model
• Cryptography — Strong grasp of elliptic curve cryptography (secp256k1), adaptor signatures, hash locks, and threshold signature schemes

Programming Languages:

• Expert proficiency in Rust and/or Go (mandatory)
• Working knowledge of C/C++, Scala, or Python for cross-implementation work
• Experience with low-level systems programming and async runtimes (Tokio, etc.)

R&D and Protocol Design:

• Experience designing, documenting, and proposing protocol-level changes (BOLT drafts, BLIPs, BIPs)
• Familiarity with cutting-edge LN research: Taproot Assets / Taro, Splicing, Channel Factories, Eltoo / LN-Symmetry, Async Payments, BOLT12 / Offers, Simple Taproot Channels, PTLCs
• Understanding of LN privacy concerns: blinded paths, route blinding, probing attacks, and channel jamming mitigations
• Hands-on experience with watchtowers, justice transactions, and channel security models

Infrastructure & Operations:

• Experience operating production Lightning nodes at scale (node management, channel rebalancing, liquidity management)
• Knowledge of LSP (Lightning Service Provider) architectures and protocols (LSPS specs)
• Familiarity with submarine swaps, loop-in/loop-out, and inbound liquidity solutions
• Experience with backup strategies (SCB, dynamic channel backups) and disaster recovery

English level (Upper-Intermediate to Fluent):

• Able to lead technical discussions with international teams and community members
• Comfortable presenting at conferences, on podcasts, and in community calls
• Proficient in writing BOLT specifications, RFCs, and research papers in English
• Effective at engaging with the global Bitcoin/Lightning community via GitHub, mailing lists, and forums
• Strong written communication for code reviews, design documents, and public technical content

• Contributions to BOLT specifications, LDK, LND, CLN, or Eclair repositories
• Publications or technical write-ups on Lightning Network research
• Experience with RGB protocol, Taproot Assets, or other Bitcoin-native asset layers
• Knowledge of cross-chain atomic swaps and DLCs (Discreet Log Contracts)
• Experience with Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) or LNURL protocol suite
• Background in mempool analysis, fee estimation, and CPFP/RBF strategies
• Active participation in the Lightning Network developer community (Lightning Dev mailing list, Delving Bitcoin, GitHub) is strongly valued
• Prior speaking experience at Bitcoin/LN conferences (Advancing Bitcoin, BTC++, LN Summit, etc.) is a significant plus
• Candidates with public GitHub contributions to LN ecosystem projects should highlight them in their application

R&D Leadership:

• Define and lead project’s Lightning Network research and development roadmap
• Identify emerging opportunities in LN protocol evolution and translate them into actionable engineering initiatives
• Represent project in the Lightning Network community, contributing to BOLT specifications and protocol discussions
• Build and mentor a team of Lightning engineers and researchers

Architecture & Infrastructure:

• Architect scalable, secure infrastructure for production environments
• Design liquidity management systems, LSP integrations, and routing optimization strategies
• Implement robust channel backup, recovery, and watchtower mechanisms

Research & Innovation:

• Monitor and evaluate emerging research in Bitcoin, Lightning, and Layer 2 ecosystems
• Publish technical write-ups, research papers, and open-source contributions
• Collaborate with academic institutions and research labs where relevant
• Prototype and validate novel approaches before production rollout

Collaboration & Communication:

• Work closely with product teams to align R&D outcomes with user needs
• Partner with smart contract / Bitcoin Script developers on cross-layer features
• Coordinate with infrastructure and DevOps teams on node deployment and monitoring
• Present R&D findings to internal stakeholders, the wider community, and at industry conferences

• Remote working format
• Flexible working hours
• Informal and friendly atmosphere
• The ability to focus on your work: a lack of bureaucracy and micromanagement
• 20 paid vacation days
• 7 paid sick leaves
• Education reimbursement
• Free English classes
• Psychologist consultations